Joe Flaherty
Nominated by the Taoiseach · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“To his credit, the responses are skilfully crafted, and if you were not familiar with the situation, you would say there is nothing wrong here, move along. However, that simply is not true. The entire Lanesborough community is aggrieved and feels that it is now being used as a mere pawn.”
“Patients tell me that, in many cases, they are not given the option of booking the surgery in Lanesborough, but instead are being encouraged to attend the Longford clinic. I would be more than happy if Dr. Booth wants to continue his five-day service in Longford, but it cannot be at the expense of a rural surgery.”
“Regrettably, I have to raise this issue for a second time. It relates to Dr. Booth, who has taken over a GMS contract for two surgeries servicing Lanesborough and the larger Longford town in County Longford.”
“It is a dangerous generalisation the Senator is putting forward and she is forgetting that in the front line of dealing with housing and difficult cases are staff and housing departments across the country. From my experience, housing staff generally think through each case.”
“The consultants at the Rotunda were quickly brought to heel when they were not complying with their contractual obligations. It is critical that we do not allow this situation to continue any longer in Lanesborough. A contract is a contract, as I said. What we are seeing here is a concerted effort to close a rural surgery by stealth.”
“They did not write the legislation, but we need legislation to frame what we are doing. We are, on a daily basis, tackling a crisis. On the front line in that effort are our housing staff. We should commend them at every opportunity rather than throwing out gross generalisations that are deeply hurtful.”
The complete record
Every one of 345 lines we hold for Joe Flaherty, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 7.
“Recent days have unfortunately brought more disquiet and concern over governance issues at Horse Sport Ireland, a heavily funded organisation to support and grow the vibrant sport horse sector. Representatives for professional riders and equine veterinarians have resigned from senior positions saying their roles are no longer tenable. The Irish Equine Veterinary Association has withdrawn its representation from HSI and cited governance issues. Also resigning last week was Barry O'Connor, representing professional competitors. He is one of the most respected voices in the sector. His decision is damning. I have repeatedly endeavoured to raise issues of concern at HSI, as have many staff members who as a consequence were bullied out of the organisation.”
“We are building those houses. We are building them with conviction and ramping up those numbers on a monthly basis. We are doing so because we have a Minister of housing at the helm who cares passionately about this. He recognises the challenges that young couples, elderly people and society generally are facing right across the country. He engaged with the industry, best practice and looked around the world and saw what was needed here. We made a seismic intervention in the rental market - a once-in-a-generation intervention that has reset and recalibrated this rental market. It is something Sinn Féin would never have done because they would be afraid there are no sound bites that can guide them through the hard decisions.”
“It does of course. All Sinn Féin is doing is coming in here and throwing out the same old tired mantra. We have made the hard decisions, as we have had to do time and time again over the decades. We have made the intervention that the market said was correct, what the academics said was the correct thing to do and we have done it. We have not done it on the back of one of Eoin Ó Broin's books either. The review indicated the provision to reset rents between tenancies may see some rent inflation - we acknowledge that - but this is expected to moderate as new supply comes on stream. New supply is coming on stream. There were a record 7,850 homes completed in quarter 1 of 2026, an increase of 33% on the previous year. The only way we will address the housing supply and rent crisis in this country is to build more houses.”
“It was not Sinn Féin that brought them in. It was a Fianna Fáil Government that brought them in and we are very proud of that. We are proud that we have always delivered on housing since the foundation of this State and we always recognised the rights of - the Opposition can smirk all they want, they have nothing yet on housing. You cannot build a house in Northern Ireland for love or money. Yet, you are coming down here and telling us how to build houses. You have done nothing on housing in Northern Ireland. The record speaks for itself up there.”
“It was an intervention which will, in the fullness of time, be proven to show it was the right intervention for the time. The modification of rent controls were informed by the findings of the Housing Agency review on rent pressure zones and consideration of potential policy options. The review involved engagement with a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives of landlord and tenancy advocate groups, academics, investors and the Residential Tenancies Board. It recommended a modification of rent controls and recommended that landlords be allowed to reset rents to market levels between tenancies, while providing for stronger tenant protections to guard against economic evictions. What the Opposition, and Sinn Féin in particular, will not acknowledge is that renters in Ireland now have the best safeguards ever in this country.”
“The Government has undertaken comprehensive reviews of the private rental market and of the rent pressure zones rent control system throughout 2024 and 2025, which assessed the rental market generally, as well as the operation of RPZs since their introduction, their impact on the market and relevant stakeholders and the retention of landlords and attracting new investment. That told us we needed a seismic intervention and we needed a once-in-a-lifetime recalibration and resetting of the rental market in Ireland. That is what this Government did. It did not do it willy-nilly and it did not come out with the old, tired Sinn Féin mantra of bringing in an eviction ban. We looked at the market and said how best can we calibrate a broken market. We looked at best practice across the world and we made a significant intervention.”
“They struggled for the past 20 years with the prices and expectation that was placed upon them by that excessive investment. They are now just coming out the other side. If they want, they have a right to sell that property while respecting tenants' rights. Nobody should bounce a property owner into a situation where he cannot have at least some control of his or her property. It is very easy to roll out the mantra of tenants. We respect and know full well the challenges that tenants are facing but there is another side to the equation and it is those landlords who the Opposition would be all too happy to throw under the bus.”
“This Government is fully committed to tackling high rents and ensuring an increase in the supply of affordable, high quality rental accommodation through continued significant capital investment, including cost rental and other means, in a manner that respects the security of tenure for renters and by ensuring equality and fairness for landlords and tenants. Overseas landlords and holders of property were referenced but the vast majority of landlords in this county are your Mamas and Papas landlords. They are people who might have one property or, in exceptional cases, may have two or three properties. That is the vast sum of landlords in these countries. They have rights too. They should not be thrown under a bus. Many of these people bought houses at the height of the property prices and paid exorbitant fees for them.”
“That was a record for recent years. There was also a record 7,856 houses completed in quarter 1 of 2026, a rise of 32.9% on the same period for 2025. Even Daft, which the Opposition is so keen to quote - it is great to see people from the socialist world quoting daft.ie , which is very much a commercial vehicle about making money on the backs of renters and the property market. Over recent years, it has paid out substantially large dividends. It is great to see the Opposition can find favour with that organisation.”
“I welcome the Minister to the House. I say to Members on the opposite side of the House that nobody on this side of the House is immune to the housing crisis. We hear the same concerns and tales of distress and upset in our constituency offices on a daily basis. We are confident and conscious that the Government and us as a collective body are working to resolve this problem. It is frustrating when we come in here and hear the same, tired mantras coming from the Opposition. It is the same rhetoric and the same song list every time they come in. When I hear them applauding Eoin Ó Broin and all he is doing for housing, all he has done so far is write a few books. He has yet to build a house. We have an action plan that will see the delivery of 300,000 houses in the lifetime of this Government. Last year, 36,284 new dwellings were completed.”
“The review involved engagement with a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives of landlord and tenant advocacy groups, academics, investors and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB); - it recommended a modification of rent controls and also recommended that landlords be allowed to reset rents to market levels between tenancies, while providing for stronger tenant protections to guard against economic evictions; - the review indicated that the provision to reset rent between tenancies may see some rent inflation, but that this is expected to moderate as new supply comes on-stream; - online platforms measure rent asking prices, which tend to be higher than the actual rents paid; - there is consistently a variance between online platform asking prices and the RTB rent index of actual rents paid in new tenancies; online advertising is not the sole mechanism for letting to tenants; - the Rent Index report published by the RTB is the most accurate and authoritative rent report of its kind on the private rental sector in Ireland; - compared to other market monitoring reports produced for the Irish rental sector the RTB Rent Index has the considerable benefit of being based on regulatory data covering all new tenancy registrations, regardless of how the property was advertised for rent; - the most recent Rent Index report, released by the RTB on 14th May, 2026 in respect of Q4 2025, shows that nationally, standardised average market rents continue to rise for new and existing tenancies; the rate of new tenancy rent increases has been relatively stable for the last six quarters at a national level, although the trends do vary across regions; a 5 per cent yearly increase was reported nationwide; - the standardised average rent for new tenancies in Q4 2025 is €1,755 nationally, €2,232 in Dublin, and €1,437 per month outside Dublin; - the standard average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in a new tenancy stood at €1,792 nationwide, a 4.4 per cent yearly increase, but a 0.8 per cent decrease compared to Q3 2025; - in Dublin, the standard average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in a new tenancy was €2,315, up 3.9 per cent from last year, but down 2.6 per cent on a quarterly basis; - the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 came into effect on 1st March, 2026, introducing a new national rent control for all tenancies, which limits rent increases to inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) up to a maximum of 2 per cent; for new build apartments and student-specific accommodation, however, rent increases are capped at the level of inflation (CPI) only; these changes were introduced to promote greater investment in the rental market and to increase the supply of rental properties; the Act also provides significant improvements in security of tenure for renters; - while February saw a sharp increase in Notices of Terminations (NoTs), the RTB confirmed that the trend is moderating, with an 18 per cent increase for March compared to March 2025 but a 39 per cent decrease from February 2026; - to offer greater protection to tenants, rolling six-year tenancies of minimum duration (TMD) apply for new tenancies created for the first time between parties on or after 1st March, 2026; this means a new tenancy that continues for six months becomes a tenancy of unlimited duration, with rolling six year TMDs, providing real security of tenure for tenants; - nationally, registered private tenancies rose by 2.44 per cent annually to 246,477 in Q1 2026; - the number of private landlords rose by 1.3 per cent annually to 105,847, indicating increased participation in the rental market; there is no exodus of landlords from the market, and the rental sector continues to show resilience; - prevention of homelessness in the first instance is an absolute priority; there are many prevention initiatives already underway in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and across Government; this includes the provision of social and affordable housing, Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and homeless HAP, and tenancy protection legislation; - in order to ensure a fully aligned all-of-Government approach, the Programme for Government includes a commitment to a holistic, cross-departmental approach to homelessness prevention; work has commenced on developing a national Homelessness Prevention Framework to ensure all possible measures are being taken across Government to prevent homelessness; it is intended that this framework will be in place later on in the year; - addressing family homelessness is another key priority for Government; the new housing plan includes a commitment to develop a dedicated Child and Family Homelessness Action Plan; this will bring together key stakeholders to drive the continued focus on preventing children and families entering emergency accommodation, providing enhanced supports for children experiencing homelessness, as well as measures to accelerate exits and reduce the time spent by children and their families in homeless emergency accommodation; - delivering Homes, Building Communities recognises that the rental market is an important element of a well-functioning housing system; it contains a suite of measures to support domestic and international investment in the delivery of new rental properties, in particular the supply of new apartments; - Ireland is facing a shortage of rental homes, especially apartments; recent reforms to the rental market aim to encourage investment and development, which will encourage the building of new rental apartments, help slow down rent increases and moderate rent levels over time; - the Government has significantly increased resources allocated to the RTB to meet the demands of a modern rental sector; - further Government measures introduced to support renters include the increase in the tax credit for renters under Budget 2025 to a maximum of €1,000 for each renter in a household; Budget 2026 extends the Rent Tax Credit, which was due to expire at the end of 2025, for a further three years, to the end of 2028; - the increase in the thresholds for access to cost rental homes, which was increased from €53,000 net to €66,000 net in Dublin and €59,000 outside Dublin, in July 2023; Seanad Éireann acknowledges that increased supply is key to meeting demand and moderating the pent-up pressures in the private rental sector and welcomes that: - there has been an unprecedented level of delivery of new-build social homes, with 2025 representing the largest number of new-build social homes constructed since the foundation of the State; - the new housing plan Delivering Homes, Building Communities is focused on putting in place the conditions to enable delivery of a minimum of 300,000 new homes between 2025 and 2030; - the plan includes a commitment to deliver 72,000 social homes and provide 90,000 affordable supports to help people secure a home of their own; - it seeks to significantly accelerate delivery of new homes by focusing on activating land and creating the optimal environment to encourage housing activity – including regulatory reform, tax incentives and the largest ever capital investment in the history of the State, with €275 billion invested in infrastructure over ten years through the National Development Plan; - to accelerate future supply, Budget 2026 included a suite of taxation measures aimed at stimulating the supply of new apartments including a reduced VAT rate and an enhanced Corporation Tax deduction for apartment construction costs; - the revised National Planning Framework, published in April 2025, is a major step forward in this regard, and will help increase capacity and accelerate home building across the country; recognises that considerable progress has been made, including that: - almost 149,000 new homes have been delivered over the past five years; this compares with 83,267 in the previous five-year period and just 29,217 in the five years before that; - a total of 36,284 new dwellings were completed in 2025 – an increase of 20 per cent year on year; - the unprecedented level of investment the Government has committed will bring about a very significant scale-up in the delivery of housing over the coming years, address the needs of the most vulnerable in our communities, make buying and renting homes more affordable and support the development of villages, town and cities across the country; - the delivery of 300,000 homes by 2030 that will, however, require an estimated €20 billion in development finance each year, a significant portion of which will need to come from investment by the private sector to support home ownership and a well functioning private rental market; and agrees that continued implementation of Delivering Homes and Building Communities represents the most appropriate response to deal with the housing challenges which Ireland is now facing.”.”
“I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "That Seanad Éireann:" and substitute the following: "notes that: - - the Government is fully committed to tackling high rents and ensuring an increase in the supply of affordable high-quality rental accommodation through continued significant capital investment including cost rental and other means and in a manner that respects the security of tenure for renters by ensuring equity and fairness for landlords and tenants; - comprehensive reviews of the private rental market and of the rent pressure zones (RPZs) rent control system were undertaken in 2024 and 2025, which assessed the rental market generally, the operation of RPZs since their introduction, their impact on the market and relevant stakeholders, the retention of landlords and attracting new investment; - the modifications to rent controls were informed by the findings of the Housing Agency’s Review of Rent Pressure Zones and Consideration of Potential Policy Options.”
“Senator Comyn deserves a response to her questions. Ciaran Mullooly went from a taxpayer funded job. He subsequently was in two further taxpayer funded jobs and his currently in the EU subsidised by taxpayers-----”
“We are not concerned with the structure of the debate. We are concerned that a scurrilous accusation has been made about school lunches. He does not want to stand over his remarks on Brazilian beef and he has no evidence to confirm that.”
“------on school lunches. Parents are worried. Scaremongering has no place in the EU Parliament and no place in this House. We have more than 200 full-time and part-time jobs related to school lunches in Longford.”
“We are coming into the Irish EU Presidency and it would be great if we could get mid-way through that Presidency and see Europe respond as a single voice to everything that is happening in the Middle East. I will also talk about the issue of school lunches. I am sure the MEPs are aware there are at least four significant school lunch companies in County Longford, which can all attest to where their food comes from. We spend more than €350 million-----”
“In the aftermath of Ireland moving forward on the occupied territories Bill yesterday, there is an onus on MEPs. We can achieve very little as a country. We are small, but we have a powerful voice and we have been the foremost country in Europe on Palestine. We led from the start. We were the first European country to recognise Palestine as a state. We have defended the United Nations Relief Works Agency, UNRWA, and its funding and we have been a strong voice. Every legitimate government agency in the Middle East will attest that Ireland has led the way. There is a huge onus on MEPs. Mr. Mullooly said he spoke to President von der Leyen, but he needs to bring the same commitment to this cause. This is the defining cause of our age. It is one thing to talk to President von der Leyen, but the MEPs need to engage with their groups.”
“I welcome all of the MEPs. In particular, I welcome my former neighbour, Mr. Mullooly, MEP. He is a native of County Longford and he is following a long tradition in this House. The MEP could see the house of the late Paddy Belton across the fields from where he grew up. Mr. Belton was a Fianna Fáil Deputy in the First Dáil, an eminently intelligent man. Subsequently, he became a member of the Fine Gael Party but we cannot account for that. I am also delighted to welcome him and to see that the MEP's sisters, Rose and Eithne, his wife, Angela, and members of his team, Pat O'Rourke and Brid Reilly, were here today. Most of them have now left the Chamber. I do not think it was because they did not want to wait for me. I think it was because they were bogged down with European speak. I only have one request.”
“However, prior to his High Court action the panel was cut short of where he was placed, and he has since applied twice for promotion but has not been selected. I take heart from his comments that he does not think the current Garda Commissioner, Justin Kelly, would have allowed the situation to be handled so badly. We need to have confidence and a genuine belief in the absolute integrity and commitment of An Garda Síochána. Equally, serving members must feel that they have the absolute support, backing and loyalty of management. In this regard, I fear Inspector Quinn was shamelessly failed. The public genuinely needs to see this acknowledged and, as I said, An Garda Síochána needs to make an apology to Inspector Quinn.”
“Even after he was cleared by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, of any wrongdoing, his calls to human resources about his promotion went unanswered. When he was eventually and rightly promoted in August 2019, he sought to have that promotion backdated as it was having an adverse effect on his pay, pension and future promotion opportunities. Having unsuccessfully tried to resolve the issue through all channels, he had no option but to take the matter to the High Court. That court subsequently said that, given GSOC's findings, not backdating the promotion would wrongly penalise the inspector over what amounted to false accusations against him. This officer was failed by An Garda Síochána management and at the very least deserves an apology from An Garda Síochána. The inspector has been on a panel for promotion to superintendent.”
“That video is still available to be seen across multiple social media forums. His children recently told him that they have seen it for themselves. I would have expected that, at the very least, An Garda Síochána management would have pursued and ensured the removal of this video from all channels. In the aftermath, the assistant commissioner for the western region visited Inspector Quinn and gave certain assurances that he had acted properly and the organisation would protect him. Sadly, Inspector Quinn's experience has been quite the opposite. He was very critical of the former Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, for failing to make contact with him and refusing to sign his promotion warrant in December 2018. It was as if Harris had formed a decision that the then-Sergeant Quinn was in the wrong.”
“We heard harrowing evidence at Longford Court last week as Garda Inspector Tom Quinn told how he feared for his life when a German shepherd was set upon him. He is a Garda of outstanding character, with an unblemished record, who has since endured an agonising eight years as a consequence of what happened that evening. Within minutes of the attack, which ultimately saw the garda produce and fire his service weapon in order to save his own life, a video went viral. It was widely shared on social media and caused Inspector Quinn's family genuine and serious distress. The video and subsequent media coverage was accompanied by horrible and vicious commentary. Inspector Quinn was the subject of threats and was forced to take his children from the family home for a number of weeks.”
“One that is particularly relevant occurred last week at Longford Circuit Court where Edward 'Blondie' Stokes was jailed for 15 months after pleading guilty to a charge of endangerment, production of a slash hook, criminal damage-----”
“I dealt with that at the outset and I am dealing with this issue now. It is relevant to all sections of the Bill. The recent Limerick court cases involving serving members of the force, which led to their unilateral acquittal, cast doubts on the decision-making of senior management at that time, as did the famed Athlone case, where a serving garda loaned a bicycle to an elderly man during the Covid era. These were not isolated cases and there are several instances of good rank-and-file gardaí being ostracised through the machinations of a managerial style that has no place in modern policing. There is no Garda station where we will not find rank-and-file members who are frustrated and disillusioned about how they have been treated, managed, sometimes sidelined and, at other times, humiliated. There has been a drip feed of court cases.”
“I understand there is a very clear divide between the Minister's office and his capacity and the management of An Garda Síochána, which is ultimately the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner, but we are seeing a drip-feeding of court cases in regard to personnel issues and mismanagement within An Garda Síochána. That is very concerning and disconcerting. I would welcome if the Minister could tell us whether he is aware of all outstanding disciplinary issues within the Garda, and of all civil court cases pertaining to HR issues within the Garda, and also any-----”
“On a more serious note, the Bill does seek to consolidate modernised policing powers, specifically in relation to search warrants, stop-and-search procedures and the treatment of suspects in custody. It is certainly a response to many of the supports and policing powers long sought by serving members of An Garda Síochána and the general public. If Senators will indulge me, I will make some points that will speak to all amendments to and sections of the Bill. Before I say what I have to say, I will preface it by saying that I heartily welcome the recent appointment of Justin Kelly as Garda Commissioner. I passionately believe he is the right man for the job but I worry he has inherited a disillusioned, frustrated and far from motivated police force. I will elaborate on the point later but it is important.”
“As we discuss privilege and the pros and cons on both sides, I am very taken by the debate. I think there are adequate safeguards there to protect it but I am reminded of the late Vincent Gill, a notorious journalist in Longford provincial papers in the 1950s, who was probably one of Senator McDowell's "yahoos". He was also an alcoholic who frequently had run-ins with An Garda Síochána. They got him barred from Granard one time and he decided to just publish a page of black ink that said "Granard at night". He had another swipe back at the Garda when he was particularly aggrieved by a local sergeant who was promoted to inspector. Mr. Gill published details of his promotion but the headline was "Town Improvements". It would be interesting to see how the Garda would use its powers if Vincent Gill was still here.”
“She might not like it, but that is what we are. We can thank Fianna Fáil and our forefathers in Fianna Fáil for that. I am glad that Fianna Fáil has its hand on the tiller of government and not Senator Keogan and not her ilk, because it would be a poor future and a poor country for my three daughters if she had any hand in power.”
“She made a charge against the members of Fianna Fáil the length and breadth of this country who had no opportunity to defend themselves. She came in here today, on a day when there are huge issues elsewhere, and used her valuable time to engage in an attack on the party that she could not force her way through to get a seat in Dáil Éireann. That is the only reason. It was a very personal and vindictive attack on people – the people who built this country and who brought us into Europe. The Senator spoke about this idealistic view she has of the 1930s. Does she know what 1930s Ireland was like? It was an Ireland that she wants – it was an Ireland of impoverished children, women tied to sinks and women put into institutions. That is what she wants to go back to. We are a modern liberal country.”
“The Senator may smirk all she wants, but Fianna Fáil always made the hard decisions and we have never once set out to build our reputation on a history of bile, hatred, bitterness or hatred of women or women’s rights.”
“I want her to know the Fianna Fáil family is a very broad church. We have room and space in our party for everybody, even her, but obviously we did not have room for her gigantic ego. Leaving that aside, the Senator engaged in an outrageous diatribe against the Fianna Fáil Party. This party and all its members stand very proud of its achievements. My grandfather fought in the War of Independence, was subsequently imprisoned and went over and spent time in prison in the UK. He came back emotionally and mentally harmed from that, but he did his bit for Ireland. He was embedded in Fianna Fáil, celebrated Fianna Fáil and realised what Fianna Fáil was going to do.”
“Considerable work is being done, particularly by this Minister of State. As a country, we are hugely enthused with the Minister of State. I do not think one could find a better or more knowledgeable minister in Europe when it comes to this sector so I am delighted that he is here. He is the right man for the right job. We agree with the spirit of what is being proposed. I am sure the Minister of State will find a use for some of the proposals and the actions and I am sure he will expand on them himself in due time.”
“As far as they are concerned, it is very much a work in progress. Any time, we get the Minister of State down, he is hugely supportive of the local authority. He has great interest in the projects of the local authority and gives it that additional encouragement. I know it is a slightly different issue but in terms of the building conservation works and projects, we really started to draw money down when Malcolm Noonan was there and now, thankfully, the council has really bought into it and the Minister of State is delivering on the work that Malcolm Noonan did as well. One will not find anyone in government who will take issue with what is being proposed because we agree wholeheartedly with the spirit of what is being proposed but we would like some acknowledgement of the work that is being done.”
“I have no doubt about his bona fides and I know he has great plans to really enhance this sector. We we all have a responsibility in this area and we cannot just play pay lip service to it. Too many parties do pay lip service to it but there is an onus on us. We have a generation of young people now who really do not know where food comes from or what it is like on a farm. That is probably a failing on our part as a society and in the way we educate our young people. We need to educate and we need to really encourage local authorities. Local authorities are good if there is a good heritage officer, a good conservation officer and good OPW staff. We are extremely lucky in Longford. We have excellent OPW staff in Longford who work very well and work in tandem with the local authority.”
“Probably some local authorities do not take it as seriously. This is very much a work in progress. We are not going to fix the ills and wrongs of the past 400 or 500 years overnight but we are very much a nation in transition when it comes to conservation and preservation. What was done in the last Government was hugely positive. I know the Minister of State is still relatively new in his role but I do not doubt his bona fides. I have seen him out on the ground and at conferences and I have seen him in action with regard to the Shannon Callows and all the work we need to do there. I see how enthused he is about that, about the wader project on the Shannon Callows and about bringing life back to the islands on Lough Ree, in particular restoring them as habitats and, ultimately and hopefully, as the first national inland island project.”
“The Minister of State was with me in Longford a number of months ago and would have seen one of the projects undertaken by Longford County Council where it produced on its own initiative a wonderful guide to local wildlife and birds. It is a beautifully illustrated book distributed to every school child in primary school right across the county. It is a wonderful initiative. I found great value in the book. I keep it in the car now and every time I see a bird, I hope to see a hawk but I have not yet seen one. Maybe the Minister of State can send a few up to me. Every time I look up and think it is a hawk, it is a bloody crow. Bring me one for a day. It is wonderful. I take the point on staff. Longford has great staff who really buy into this and see the value of it. They are very much into conservation and preservation.”
“We have to start somewhere. We have taken a stand on it, know what we have and, more importantly, know what we have lost. Anybody who comes from rural Ireland is very much aware of the challenges we face as a farming community. We are realistically looking at probably the first generation of people in Ireland who do not know where food came from and who do not know what life is like in rural Ireland. That brings its own set of problems. I welcome the spirit of the proposal. I particularly acknowledge what Malcolm Noonan did in the lifetime of the last Government. I am happy to support this and I am sure the Minister of State can certainly find value in many aspects of the proposal as well.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I very much welcome the spirit of this motion. It would be remiss if at the outset, I did not acknowledge what Malcolm Noonan did in the lifetime of the last Dáil to raise awareness of this issue and to set in train a lot of the projects and initiatives we see under this current Government. It was with great foresight that the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, was appointed to this role. It is fair to say that he is probably one of the most passionate people in government when it comes to wildlife and the preservation of nature. While supporting the spirit of the motion, I do take some exception to the statement that the Government is doing nothing about this. Since the last Government and in the lifetime of this Government, we have never been as proactive in this area.”
“There is probably not a housing development in the country that is not dependent on state aid through an element of social and affordable housing to get it off the ground. When people say the Government is doing nothing about the housing problem and homelessness, it is simply not true. It is a fallacy and very unfair to the Minister's Department, officials and the local authorities the length and breadth of the country.”
“I know within our party and indeed with the other parties, he is having ongoing discussions and taking on board ideas. We have a collective responsibility, ultimately, to sort the homelessness problem. We will get there but we also have to acknowledge that we are one of the fastest growing, most dynamic economies and countries in Europe. It is inevitable that our population is going to increase. It is increasing dramatically and is putting additional pressures on our housing stock and supply. Ultimately, it comes back down to that most salient point: everything humanly possible has to be done to ramp up supply. At the minute, we are totally dependent on the Minister's Department.”
“He has shown that this week with teach beag, which is a great initiative. Needless to say, the critics will deride it but it answers what an awful lot of parents were asking us for. I could probably count ten times the people who have come to me and asked if it would be okay if they put up a modular unit in the field behind the house or the back garden. I told them that if they went to the planner, they will tell you no but if your neighbours are not going to make an issue with it you are probably as well to do it. It is great to see those people being brought in and that their situation is going to be regularised. This not a panacea; it is not going to sort out the homelessness problem but it is just one more measure the Minister has been willing to embrace.”
“You could probably count on your two hands the number of families who are more than 12 months in a homeless situations. In many of those cases, I think it would be reasonable to say that some of those people would probably have status issues in the country and it might be a challenge getting them out of homelessness. On the whole, I think we are making real progress. Ultimately, the solution to homelessness and all our housing problems is delivery. It is like any business in retail; if you have not got the product, you cannot sell it, and if you have not got the houses, you cannot sort homelessness or get people into housing. However, I think the Minister has shown that there is no restriction on his ambition. He has not been afraid to take on new programmes and initiatives.”
“It is not necessarily the same 15,000 every month that is homeless. There are an awful lot of people coming into the system homeless and who are then coming out the other side quite quickly, as a matter of fact, in a home and a proper, secure social housing support at home. There are an awful lot of people across local authorities the length and breadth of Ireland working very hard in homeless services, often in combined teams across a number of counties, to address this. They are working tirelessly to address that. The Minister might use his time to paint a picture of the dynamic of that homeless figure of 15,000. What makes that up? How many people are in the system over the long term? It would be reasonable to say that there are very few.”
“I welcome the Minister back to the Chamber. At the outset, I commend him on all the work he has been doing. I think he has made some of the most significant strides we have seen in trying to address the housing deficit in this country, possibly over the past 15 to 20 years. I commend him on his work and tell him not to listen to detractors and keep doing what he is doing because I think he is making real progress. We have certainly seen that in the first quarter this year. Notwithstanding that, we have to admit that we still have a homelessness challenge. The numbers, at face value, do not reflect well on us as a society. Every family is entitled to a home and a roof over their heads but sometimes, we do not get sufficient credit, or indeed the Minister's Department does not get sufficient credit, in those figures.”
“The people of Ireland stood up and told us we were wrong, and we have to be man and woman enough, whether we are in government or in opposition, to stand up and say, "We have done you wrong and done you a disservice." I am doing that here. We lost the people we claim to serve and to defend, and that was reprehensible on our part as public representatives. I hope that in the fullness of time my party leader, Micheál Martin, will have the forthrightness and the self-belief - I am sure he will - to come forward and apologise for the past seven days. I want it to be known that my apology is heartfelt and earnest. My party and my Government forgot the very best that Ireland has to offer. They forgot the people who get up and do the work. We need to seek their forgiveness and to show some remorse, and I do so here very humbly.”
“We need to recognise, foremost, the people of middle Ireland, the people who go to work on a daily basis and who have never gotten anything in the lifetime of this so-called recovery, the people who struggle to make ends meet. I have asked the Taoiseach to consider a one-off €1,700 tax refund for every worker earning up to €40,000, reducing to €1,000 for those earning up to €70,000. In the case of a couple, it would be €3,400 or €2,000. It would be a much-needed dividend for those people. It might help them with some bills or help them to go on a holiday that they have not had in the last number of years. It is something that we need to do. Everybody in this room agrees that we crossed the Rubicon at the weekend.”
“We also need a cast-iron guarantee from the energy providers that they are not going to increase their prices for the next two years. We need double social welfare payments for the disabled, for the elderly, for lone parents and for those in receipt of the working family payment. We need a double children's allowance payment, allowing families a discretionary spend, whether that is on a meal out or help towards a holiday. I ask the Cathaoirleach to give me some leeway with the time because it is very rare for me to go against my own party. It is very important that I am given the opportunity to say this. As I have said to the Taoiseach, this is a red line for me and it will also be a red line, I hope, for many of my colleagues. We are at a turning point here in Ireland.”
“We forgot about the people like the woman my colleague mentioned who is bringing her child with special needs to appointments. We forgot the elderly woman who lives alone. Her husband died two years ago and she is yearning for a call to the door. The same woman wonders now how she is going to pay for her heating. We forgot those people. I have told the Taoiseach in the past 24 hours that we need a suite of cost-of-living supports. We need to double down on the tokenism and glib measures announced a few weeks ago. They did not go far enough. They might have sounded nice or looked well in graphics on social media but they did nothing. They did not address the real problems that we are facing in rural Ireland. Without delay, as I told the Taoiseach yesterday and as I am sure the Opposition will agree, we need three energy credits.”
“I spoke at length with An Taoiseach yesterday on this issue and I have left him under no illusion as to where my future loyalties will lie in the absence of a cast-iron and soon-to-be-announced commitment to a raft of cost-of-living supports and indeed, if needs be, a mini-budget. We need to be contrite at this point in our history and we need to show empathy. In many ways, we need to be able to show that we can move forward again as a society and as a country, as we did in 1930 and again in 1950. I have no doubt that we will do it again, shoulder to shoulder with farmers. Unfortunately, the reality is that in the last year to 16 months, we forgot the real people of this country, the people who were making the sacrifices.”
“It forgot the people who, as my former boss Eugene McGee once said, get up early and eat their dinner in the middle of the day. They are the people who are the benchmark of this country. Our mandarins overlooked the suffering of the people who are most marginalised in this country because they are immune to it and they do not hear about it in Dublin 4. They ignored the suffering and isolation of the elderly because they thought it was a myth. Ultimately, we cobbled together a budget for 2026 that failed our most vulnerable. I say that as a Government representative and I apologise for that budget. Having single-handedly championed the cost of living in the previous Government, Fianna Fáil as a party shamelessly forgot the pain and suffering in the delivery of that budget.”